let me finish tonight with this. increasingly the republican party sounds and looks like a pack of moon shine shiners. they talk about them the way the old moon shiners talked about them revenuers. i mean it when i say the gop stands for guns over people.

no matter how many kids get killed, they talk about holding on that thinker semiautomatics with their cold dead hands. many see those connected to cold dead hearts. people without caring what semiautomatics have done in the wrong hands have done. and that's "hardball." the place for politics with al sharpton starts now. thanks, chris. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead. putting people last. 79 days after hurricane sandy devastated the east coast, americans are still waiting on the republican congress to do something. more than 346,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in new york and new jersey. 41,000 americans are still displaced. for nearly three months, hundreds of thousands of americans have suffered waiting to rebuild, waiting to figure out how to put their lives back

together. families have been left in the cold desperate for help. but the republicans in congress have made these people a pawn in a deadly serious political game about spending cuts and deficits. less than two hours, the house will vote on a sandy relief bill that could deliver $51 billion in aid. but earlier today house republicans tried and failed to pass an amendment to the sandy relief bill that would give the money only if it were offset with spending cuts. they were saying no relief aid unless programs are cut back. 157 republicans voted for these offsets. they supported the amendment which would have killed the $50 million sandy relief package. how on earth did we get here? this is money sitting in washington to help our fellow

americans get their lives back together. how can we explain the efforts to not help people? joining me now, congressman mick melvani. congressman, first of all, thanks for being here again. >> it's always a pleasure. thanks very much for having me. >> now, how can you talk about spending when americans are so desperate for help, congressman? >> well, it's pretty simple. because in your introduction you said the money was just sitting here in washington. and it's not. it's actually sitting in china. and we're going to have to go and borrow it from the chinese in order to give it to the folks in the northeast. let me make one thing clear. there's a small group of people who think this is not an appropriate function of government. i'm not one of those. that's not what this was about today. i want this money to go to the folks in the northeast. the question today was whether or not we thought it was important enough to pay for it

now or whether or not we were going to pay for it later and make our children and grandchildren pay for it. that was the discussion. i think it's a fair discussion to have. >> all right. well -- but, is it not fair to also point up that in terms of some of your colleagues, there's some blatant hypocrisy? 67 republicans that voted against the $9 billion package. but 37 of them supported emergency aid following disasters in their own states. and you're one of them. the fact is, congressman, you actually received help from a disaster relief program. in 2011 you testified on a committee of small businesses and here's what you said. you said i've actually participated in disaster assistance relief. i showed up six months after i started my business one morning to find my office furniture floating in the front yard. we had been through a flood and i was able to get disaster

relief loan from sba. my experience was actually quite good. it was extraordinarily helpful. you got help to replace your flooded furniture. why would we deny to help people with their homes? they lost their actual homes, congressman. >> reverend, we're not trying to deny anybody anything. the purpose of the amendment today was not to delay it or a poison pill. we went into great deal on the floor. the question is whether or not we would pay for it now or later. 1997 i was able to use that program. that's why they're important to me. i recognize exactly what these people have gone through. i was in waste water, human waste up to my chest in my office. i've lived through this. i've lived in a hurricane-prone state. that's why i'm not taking the state the federal government should be doing this. the reason is a reasonable one. is it important enough for us to pay for it or do we go to china and japan and say we don't have enough money to take care of our own people, will you lend it to

us? it bothers me and i would hope it would bother you a bit. >> of course all of this debt should bother all of us. that i grant you. but congressman, are you telling me it is not important enough -- yes, you were standing up to your chest in debris. people lost everything. people are living in shelters. people are living in trailers in the cold. and you're telling me if they pass that aid bill we have to go to china. of course we don't have to go to china. we can pay the bill as we continue these debt negotiations. we can get some of your fellow republicans to increase on revenues. we can deal with the defense budget. but when you say whether we pay now or later but you're not talking about a delay. i went to public schools in brooklyn but now or later means delay. >> look at it this way. the amendment today, it would have cut defense something you and i have talked about before.

157 republicans voted for that. five democrats also voted for my amendment today. if the amendment had passed, the money would have gone to new york and new jersey just as quickly. again, this was not a debate about who gets the money, how much money it was. it was a debate how we're going to pay for it. make one thing clear. this is all borrowed money. this is not budgeted this year. we are going to borrow every penny we send to the northeast. i wanted to have the discussion of whether or not this was important enough to find some savings some place. give me something that we are willing to give up as a country. and if it's a national park in my state. show me something we're willing to give up as a country and share that sacrifice so these folks in the northeast get the aid they need. >> of course it's not in the budget. this was a natural disaster no one saw coming. when we had other natural disasters, we responded. katrina in 2005. we did $105 billion in relief fund in 20 days. >> we did.

>> in andrew we took $45 billion. ike in 2008, $27.8 billion. here we are how many days, weeks after sandy and we're sitting around talking about we'll do it only if you can tell me where we're going to take it from in spending? i mean, at what point do we put the american lives over american politics? >> a couple things. the delay's inexcusable. even though i voted against the provisions this evening, i made it clear to my friends in new york and new jersey going back to before christmas that i thought we should have moved on this quicker. i can't defend that. i won't defend that. but what you're talking about here is -- again, we're going back to the funding issue. not the use of this. >> well, congressman, we're going to have to leave it there. thank you for coming on. you always come on. we certainly disagree more than we agree, certainly tonight i disagree with you, but i respect

you for coming on. thank you. >> thank you, reverend. talk to you soon. >> joining me now is richard wolffe executive editor of msnbc.com and krystal ball cohost of "the cycle." what do you make of that interview? that exchange? isn't this the problem with today's gop? that it's just how are we going to pay for it? he admits that people have been treated wrongly with a long period of time here. >> right. >> but before i give you aid, i want to know where it's going to be taken out of spending? i mean, that almost seems heartless to me. >> never in our history have we looked at people who have been victims of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and said we see that you're in help. maybe we'll help you. is it worth borrowing the money for? let me think about this. he frames is is it worth borrowing more money to pay for

this. i don't know how you ask that question. if your child needed a life-saving operation would you sit around and say we could borrow the money but am i really going to do this? no. if this was his state you can't help but come to the conclusion he would be there. not saying how can we use this as leverage really to get our way rather than just saying what's the best and most effective way we can get help to the people that need it. >> and richard, it's another blatant example of the republicans going all the way to the edge like they did the fiscal cliff. i mean, you see these examples of how they consistently put politics over people. fiscal cliff pushed to the edge. threatening a government shutdown over a debt ceiling. they fought affordable health care. they say they support cuts to programs for the needy. so it's all of this as you heard the congressman say, the question is whether it is

important enough to borrow. i'm telling him people are living in trailers in the cold. they're in shelters. their homes are gone. not that there's a flood up to their waste. there is no home. there is no furniture. let's see if it's important enough to borrow and how we're going to pay it back. >> look. everything the government spends on many areas is borrowed. right? defense budget is borrowed. it depends which part is borrowed and which is paid for through taxes. they're making a philosophical point. i don't doubt the sincerity. he cares about deficits. but at a time like this, it's a delay. and i don't know how he can square his sympathy for victims because he was a victim, too, at one point with this political point he wants to make about budget. yes. there is discussion to be had about budgets and deficits. but right now this has a real impact, these delays. so making the point about deficits is stopping people from getting the help they need.

and if he wants to have that debate, have it in the bigger context. this $60 billion, it's a drop in the ocean of bigger debt problems and they are long-term debt problems. they need to talk about them, but this isn't the point or time to do it. there's a time and place. this isn't it. >> and my point is -- i don't want to just beat up on congressman mulvaney. 137 voted for this. >> at least he had the guts to defend himself. >> people in this country that we have gotten to the point in politics where now we can watch with a complete detachment people suffering from a natural disaster they had no way, shape, or form that they were responsible for while we figure out our fiscal deficit policies. it's amazing to me. aren't we electing people to protect american people? >> yeah. if they can't pass this, i mean, what can they do? if they can't do this thing that

has never ever been controversial. and the other thing that's really disturbing is everything now. the fiscal cliff, the debt ceiling, the continuing budget resolution. everything is used as a bargaining chip to get their way in this very ideological way. you said you don't doubt the congressman's sincerity on deficit reduction. i do. when you look at the fact that he didn't vote for the fiscal cliff deal. if you're talking about deficit reduction from raising revenues, he's not on board at all. he only wants to see it come from cuts. so it's a specific piece of ideology that he is coming from. i think it's abhorrent to use something like disaster relief as a chip to get your way. >> richard, they're also threatening government shutdown. are there any boundaries to some -- and these are not all republicans, but these extreme republicans when it comes to their ideology no matter who it

hurts? >> they blinked last time they got to the point of default. and thank goodness. the credit rating went down. and the cost of borrowing to this country on the very deficits they cared about, they went up. so there's not a whole lot of sense here. there's a lot of posturing. i think shutdown for them is an easy option. even though it's going to hurt a lot of people. you know, you cannot budget like this. there will be disasters. there are always hurricanes. there are always people who are in need. how about they get the budget right on the longer term, but they deal with the problems we now face. you cannot fight wars off budget. you cannot deal hurricanes off budget. they should concentrate on fixing that. >> going to have to leave it there. richard wolffe and krystal ball, thanks for your time. catch krystal on "the cycle" week days on msnbc. coming up, a new shooting

game for 4-year-olds. and the nra says we don't think we have a gun problem. tomorrow president obama reveals action. plus, on what would be martin luther king's 84th birthday, we're a nation still working on a dream. the right wing responds to the tolerance comment. and what does miracle on the hudson hero captain sully sullenberger have to do with arizona governor jan brewer? there's a connection. we'll explain it ahead. you're watching "politicsnation" on the place for politics, msnbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] here's a word that could give you peace of mind. unbiased.

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have you joined the "politicsnation" conversation on facebook yet? we hope you will. today everyone was celebrating what would have been martin luther king jr.'s 84th birthday. sue says happy birthday to one of the greatest men who ever lived. lorain says thank you for leading the fight and for the sacrific sacrifices. kim says may his legacy live on. i'll have more on dr. king's legacy coming up later in the show. but first, we want to show you -- we want to share your thoughts about dr. king, about his dream on our facebook page. please head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to join the conversation that's going long after the show ends. if by blessed you mean freaked out about money well we suddenly noticed

that everything was getting more expensive so we switched to the bargain detergent but i found myself using three times more than you're supposed to and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. thanks honey yeah you suck at folding [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] one cap of tide gives you more cleaning power than 6 caps of the bargain brand. [ woman ] that's my tide, what's yours? five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story.

tomorrow president obama will deliver his gun safety plan to the american people. he inand vice president biden. these children who called for change will see it first hand. and we're already getting details. the white house plan will include a push for universal background checks. a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. a ban on assault weapons. and if republicans threaten to stand in the way, the president will pursue as many as 19

executive orders that don't require congressional approval. this country's in the midst of a great debate about gun safety. now the fight will really begin. and we must be ready for it. joining me now is congressman john larson. democrat from connecticut. thanks for coming on the show tonight. >> great to be with you, rev. >> congressman, let me start by asking are you pleased with what we're hearing about the president's plan tomorrow? >> the president has shown incredible strength with regard to this, as you know. his trip to connecticut in which he spoke to us directly about this probably being december 14th in newtown, the worst day of his presidency. and to the very core of his marrow, this has impacted him. and he has resolved to act on behalf of america's children and

in the interest of our safety. he would like for congress to respond and i'm sure the vice president has outlined a very constructive, common sense, pragmatic solutions. but if congress cannot act, i'm heartened be i the fact that the president said he will take executive action. there's a number of things i implore him to do under executive actions that are long overdue. but we know the resolve of this president. we hope republicans and the nra come to the table around a comprehensive agenda, but understand that guns can't be left out of the equation. yes to mental health issues. yes to the culture of violence. yes to what we need to do with youth in our communities. but guns are also a part of this problem as well. >> but that is why, congressman, there's going to be a big fight on this. >> that's true. >> i agree with you. guns have to be on the table, but the republicans, the gop has

already gone haywire on this. listen to this. >> sure. >> i'm against having a king. i think having a monarch is what we fought the american revolution over. and someone who wants to bypass the constitution, bypass congress, that's someone who wants to act like a king or a monarch. >> restricting the right to keep and bear arms is unconstitutional. the second amendment is an integral part of the bill of rights. >> if he tried to override the second amendment in any way, i believe it would be an impeachable offense. >> impeachable. monarch. i mean, in 1989, congressman, president h.w. bush used executive action to declare a permanent ban on most all made semiautomatic assault rule. semiautomatic rifles. all of a sudden now, president obama would be a monarch going against a constitution,

impeachable. i mean, this is absolutely ludicrous given that republican president bush 1 did exactly that using executive order. >> exactly. and he's hardly a king or a monarch. but what he is is the commander in chief responsible for the safety and well being of the people. especially the children in this nation. and he's also a father who cares implicitly and understands what steps have to be taken as did as you rightfully point out george herbert walker bush. i commend president bush. i commend president obama. let's sit down. there are common sense solutions here for us to move forward. but if congress will not act, if it continues to be in the mode that it's in currently and we just saw it with respect to your first segment with respect to sandy relief where we have these recalcitrant republicans, then the president has to act in the interest of the children of this country. >> congressman, i'm going have

to leave it there. thank you so much. congressman john larson. thanks for being with us tonight. >> always a pleasure. still ahead, falling short of the dream. why the gop, the party of lincoln, is failing to honor the legacy of martin luther king jr. on his birthday. but first, the miracle on the hudson four years ago today. now we have a miracle in the desert. you won't believe what arizona governor jan brewer has decided to do. ♪ [ male announcer ] there are only so many foods

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four years ago today the country watched a miracle unfold. >> surviving flight 1549. a u.s. airways flight from new york to charlotte lands in the hudson river in new york city. and amazingly, all the passengers got out alive. >> the miracle on the hudson. it was the feel good story of the year. captain sully became a national hero. what a day.

and there must be something about this day january 15th. because today we heard about another kind of miracle. this one from arizona governor jan brewer. the gop governor who tried to impress the right wingers by wagging her finger in the president's face. she has caved on health care. that's right. she's agreed finally to expand medicaid in her state. >> try as we might, the law was upheld by the united states supreme court. the president was re-elected. and his party controls the united states senate. in short, the affordable care act isn't going anywhere. at least not for the time being. >> she's right. the law is not going anywhere. and expanding medicaid in arizona means 300,000 more people will get health insurance.

a far right governor who's helping to expand health care? miracles do happen. but we shouldn't expect a miraculous change in the heart for the rest of the gop. we'll talk about the newest freakout next. asional have constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ male announcer ] how do you turn an entrepreneur's dream... ♪ into a scooter that talks to the cloud? ♪ or turn 30-million artifacts... ♪

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is even better for the cup. new single serve cafe collections from maxwell house. now available for use in the keurig k-cup brewer. always good to the last drop. today would have been martin luther king jr.'s 84th birthday. he dedicated his life to bringing all americans together. preaching a message of hope and equality for all americans. but almost 45 years after dr. king gave up his life for that dream, we have a long way to go to fulfill it. just ask general colin powell, one of the most celebrated republicans of his time. >> there's also a dark -- a dark vein of intolerance in parts of the party. what do i mean by that? what i mean by that is they still sort of look down on minorities.

>> they still sort of look down on minorities. this coming from a standard for the republican party. that seems like that would be a wakeup call, right? a time to open up the tent. a time to take a long hard look in the mirror. >> a web of mass destruction has been found. they found it. colin powell. >> he starts the interview saying he's still a republican. but whoa. >> colin powell used to be a republican. i don't think he is any longer. >> the case he makes is weak. >> the case is weak? no. it's the truth. and sometimes that hurts. there's no question we've made progress. four years ago history was made. our first african-american president. and we're days from president

obama's second inauguration coming on martin luther king day. but from day one of the administration, the right wing rhetoric has been ugly. they've called him un-american, lazy, a food stamp president. this was once the party of lincoln. what happened? joining me now, jonathan capehart, opinion writer for "the washington post" and an msnbc contributor. and victoria defrancesco soto. an msnbc contributor. thank you both for joining me tonight. >> thanks, rev. >> thanks rb reverend. >> jonathan, almost 45 years from the death of dr. king, would you think we'd be here right now in our politics? >> well, no. you would think that we would have at least our politics would have advanced farther along than

this. colin powell sunday as you said spoke truth to the republican party. he didn't say anything that you or i or victoria or a vast majority of the country doesn't already know, understand, and accept. that the republican party is going to continue to lose presidential elections. it's going to continue to be a regional reactionary party unless and until it does something about the voices of intolerance or as general powell said, the dark vein of intolerance is dealt with. >> now, when you look, victoria, for example at john sununu. he was a mitt romney surrogate. he repeatedly used racial comments during the campaign. watch this. >> can you imagine how dumb this president is? this is a president who wallowed in chicago in the murky soup of politics/felons. he has no idea how the american

system functions. he is absolutely lazy. and detached from his job. what people saw last night, i think, was a president that revealed his incompetence, how lazy and detached he is. >> did you mean to call barack obama the president of the united states lazy? >> yes. >> lazy, dumb, incompetent. and general powell said sunday when many of us in the african-american community hear lazy, the next word is shiftless. all of these are stereotypes. felons. and what is most disturbing about this is he was a surrogate for governor romney, the presidential candidate, and not one time did he denounce the statements. sununu has a right to say what he wants, but he was never, ever denounced by the campaign and he was an official representative of the campaign nap is what was so offensive, victoria. >> it was. and then in talking about this vein of intolerance, it's old

wine in new bottles. regrettably we have had a history of intolerance in this country since our founding. but what has changed is where it's been housed. in the 20th century it was mainly in the democratic party. and then in about 1965 we saw that shift over to the republican party. they say that in 1965 when president johnson signed the voting rights act, he turned to bill morris' aide and said i believe we have lost the south to the republicans for a very long time. so case in point. we have seen that previously conservative element that was part of the democratic south go to the republican party. changing houses. and at the same time the other shift we're seeing is in the implicit nature of intolerance. so previously we saw explicit intolerance in terms of lynches and poll taxes. but today it's about lazy. it's about being shucking and jiving. and in regards to latinos, it's

about being illegal. so we're seeing intolerance repackaged and in a new home. >> well, and i think johnson said we've lost it to the south i think it was 20 years he said we're at 28 now. since he said that. but jonathan, when you look at the fact that -- and you wrote about the general powell's warning. when you look back to 2008, the ugly rhetoric had started. listen to this and watch this. >> our opponent is someone who sees america as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists. >> president obama, quit lying. >> if you are going to be the president of the united states, you have to be born in this country. >> i don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. >> president obama is the most effective food stamp president in american history. >> what barack obama seems to want to do is go back to before

those days when we were in different classes based on income, based on color of skin. >> when we hear this ugliness and then general powell, a republican who worked for successive republican presidents, give them a warning, give them advice, people like laura ingram see a conspiracy. she says she more i think about it, the more it seems colin powell's appearance on "meet the press" was coordinated with the white house with his dear friend with whom he campaigned, barack obama. she goes on to say when i hear an african-american president say comments like they don't like to socialize, they demonize me, i feel like we're playing the victim card here. maybe playing the race card. so let the get this right, jonathan. the president invites the speaker of the house and other republicans to state dinners and other things at the white house. they turn him down.

when he's challenged, the president, about why he doesn't invite them over more by a reportering with he responds by saying that and that's the race card? >> i know. it's ridiculous. the level of disrespect shown this president i think is unprecedented. remember, there used to be a rule. maybe even a custom that if you received an invitation from the white house, whatever else you're doing must be canceled and you go. it's out of respect for the president. it's out of respect for the office. and we have seen over the last four years that there is no respect for the office and no respect for this president whatsoever. you know, speaker boehner and senate minority leader mitch mcconnell have turned down invitations to the white house in the past. you know, i have heard through my own reporting that the president did a viewing of "lincoln," invited republicans. they didn't show up. >> wow.

jonathan, victoria, i'm going to have to leave it there. thank you for your time tonight. have a great evening. >> thanks a lot, rev. >> thanks. coming up, if you can't beat 'em, cheat 'em. republicans have a new scheme to win the white house. without winning the popular vote. but first, look out mitch mcconnell, progressive groups are coming together for change. and break up the gop gridlock in washington. stay with us. ♪ discover card. cashback concierge, here. cashback concierge?! we have a concierge! i know; it's exciting! wow! what exactly is a cashback concierge? well there's lots of ways you can get cash back - i'm here to help you get the most bang-for-your-buck. it's a personalized thing from discover.

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republicans are coming off a landslide loss. so what is the rnc chairman's idea to fix it? rig the system. brilliant. that's coming up. you turn for legal matters? at legalzoom, we've created a better place to handle your legal needs. maybe you have questions about incorporating a business you'd like to start. or questions about protecting your family with a will or living trust. and you'd like to find the right attorney to help guide you along, answer any questions and offer advice. with an "a" rating from the better business bureau legalzoom helps you get personalized and affordable legal protection. in most states, a legal plan attorney is available with every personalized document to answer any questions. get started at legalzoom.com today. and now you're protected.

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in a democracy the majority rules. but unfortunately, that's not how it works in the u.s. senate. often a minority of senators less than 50 can use a fi filibuster to stop about any bill and grind to a halt. filibusters have exploded in

recent years. driven largely by republicans. develop of the three sessions of congress with the worst filibuster abuse have happened since president obama took office. but now democrats are backing reforms to fix the system. their plan would eliminate some filibusters requiring senators to actually talk during others and speed up nomination process overall. today there's news that senate majority leader harry reid wants a smaller reform. but my next guest is urging him go big. joining me now, senator jeff merkley, democrat senator from oregon, who's leading the charge for filibuster reform. thanks for your time tonight. >> it's wonderful to be with you. >> there have been 386 republican-led filibusters since 2007 according to harry reid.

i mean, it is amazing the kind of things that have been blocked by a minority just using filibusters. >> absolutely. jobs, closing oil loopholes. the dream act. the disclose act to get rid of secrecy in campaign donations. a lot more beyond. then in addition the bills that never get to the senate floor because those on the floor are getting filibustered. >> senator john cornyn of texas said on the filibuster fight, he said quote, the history of this has been that people get up to the edge of the abyss and they look into the abyss and they pull back because today' minority can become the majority. what's your reaction to that statement by senator cornyn? >> my reaction is anything i'm backing is something i'm completely comfortable with in

the minority. in fact, they say if you're going to argue for more debate, you actually got to use your voice. so it's empowering. and if they don't have the courage of their convictions to make their case before their colleagues or the american people, then they should sit down and get out of the way. so that the process can go forward. so it's -- these are reforms that i'm comfortable with, that tom udall is comfortable with. if we're in the minority, we support these reforms because they facilitate debate. >> do you have the votes? do you think they will filibuster even on the filibuster reform? >> well, i think we can anticipate that. but under the constitution it says a simple majority can change the rules. the senate can organize itself. so if it comes down to it, when harry reid puts forward a proposal and says here it is. i need 51 of you with me, the only way we're going to make a change. he will have 51. it's a particularly important

that the talking filibuster be part of that. because that is the heart of the secret, silent strategy in which the minority has been killing bills outside of the american people. >> new website. you can go to reformt reformthefilibuster.com. thanks for being here tonight. now i want to bring in larry corn, president of the communications workers of america. his union is fighting for filibuster reform. thank you for joining me tonight, larry. >> my pleasure. great being with you. >> why is ending filibuster abuse such a key issue for your members? >> the question is are we going to have a path in this country to democratic change? or none? so as we just heard in that last segment, you can name almost any issue we all care about. whether it's workers rights, whether it's health care reform, whether it's immigration, disclose act, fighting

foreclosures. none of those bills ever get to the floor. they filibuster the motion to proceed. they don't talk. they can call the cloak room from anywhere in the country and one senator objects. then it takes 60 to move the ball forward. this is a disgrace. no democracy in the world operates like this. >> it was amazing because your unions and others saw the dream act, paycheck act, american jobs act, all of these different bills were filibustered where one senator just blocked it. it's almost amazing how we have not as a public been energized about reforming this until now. >> people's eyes glaze over until you link it to every single issue. fiscal cliff, deficit, every single issue. the president's bills never go on the floor of the senate. there are bills that mcconnell agrees to before they reach the

floor. because otherwise they can't proceed. one of these reforms that senator merkley talked about is just no more motion to proceed. the majority leader can put a bill on the floor. this is out of control. >> now, let me show you your union's advertising campaign against the filibuster. and let me just show you that first. then i want to ask a question. >> as climate change threatens the world we leave to our children and good u.s. jobs move overseas, time in the senate ticks by. it keeps ticking by with no results. because the system is broken. but we can fix it. and make the senate work for us again. >> people are stunned when they find out it was not majority vote. that one senator can just stop the process. is it your hope and the hope of cwa that when you do ads like this that the public will put pressure on their senators to reform this and just make it fair and democratic as most of

us felt it was. >> that's it. bring it out in the open. hundreds of thousands of calls have already been made. this can't be in the darkness like the way filibusters are done. and it's not about just majority rule. it's about you have to talk. 41 senators could still stop a bill from a final vote. but they'd have to talk like they did in the old days. not silence. >> and 65% of americans say senators should have to participate in a debate for the entire filibuster according to polls. progressive groups including unions like yours have formed the democracy initiative coalition to get big money out of politics, expand voting rights, end the filibuster. i mean, the efforts like this are counteracting big money from the right. so this is going to be an ongoing thing even beyond the filibuster. >> way beyond. the filibuster can be fixed in seven day. next tuesday. if not then, it's two years more. these other things, we're in this for the long run with civil rights groups, students, greens,

democracy groups, the long run. millions of us are going to fight to bring a democracy to the 21st century to this country. >> thank you so much were larry cohen, president of cwa. thanks for your time tonight and your work. >> thanks for your work. remember all the republican efforts to restrict voting? well, now they have a new trick. change ou elections are won. that's next. ♪ you know my heart burns for you... ♪

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progress was purchased through enduring the smack of billy clubs and the blast of fire hoses. nearly 50 years after the march on washington, our work, dr. king's work is not yet complete. >> back in dr. king's day voter suppression was enforced by fire hoses and billy clubs. today it's more subtle. but just as dangerous. rnc chairman reince priebus is arguing to change the rules in their state for how they award in presidential elections. you should this kind of plan. might have won the white house last year, not barack obama. priebus says quote, it's something a lot of states have been consistently blue that are fully controlled red ought to be looking at. priebus supports this now